Device for scoring in games such as bridge



July 14, 19 6- E. WEATHERALL 2,047,301

DEVICE FOR SCORING IN GAMES SUCH AS BRIDGE Filed Feb. 15, 1955 INVENTOR. E/nesf Wed/befall.

ATTORNEYS Patented July 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE Ernest Weatherall, London, England Application February 15, 1935, Serial No. 6,611 In Great Britain February 23, 1934 9 Claims.

This invention has for its object an improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, which will occupy but a small space on the top of a table, and will remain fast in the position in which it is placed and so always be convenient for use, and generally free from the disadvantages of the usual scoring pads.

A device for this purpose has been proposed which can be clamped by screws to the top of a table and which has a chamber arranged to lie underneath the table, in which can be disposed a roll of ruled paper for scoring purposes, the paper being drawn off from the roll, so as to pass between guides constituted by the inturned margins of the device, and torn off against a suitable edge.

In accordance with the present invention, the improved device comprises a metal plate, adapted to lie flat on the top of a table, formed with a retroverted portion constituting a bowed spring which will enable it to be clipped to the table 1 top without the use of clamping screws, said retroverted portion having a pair of spaced lugs serving rotatably to support a roll of paper, whilst said plate has spring arms extending thereacross from opposite sides and adapted to hold there against a strip of paper drawn from said roll, one of said spring arms being arranged at the free end of the plate and preferably being formed so as to constitute also a holder for a pencil.

Preferably the lugs on the retroverted portion of the plate are bent slightly each to an obtuse angle, so that, in use, their free ends will tend to bear against the sides of the roll of paper to prevent over-running when the strip of paper is drawn upon preparatory to tearing off a used portion.

Preferably also said retroverted portion carries a notched bridge piece so that if the point of a pencil be placed in the notch when the paper strip is being drawn forward a dividing line will be drawn along said strip.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows the preferred form of the device, Figure 1 being a perspective view thereof, Figures 2 and 3 end views as seen from the left and right of Figure 1, respectively, and Figures 4 and 5 detail sections on the lines 4-4, Figure 2, and II-I I, Figure 3, respectively. Figures 6 and 7 are fragmentary views showing modifications of the tearing means.

As shown a rectangular metal plate is retroverted as at I, 2, 3 to constitute a bowed spring with the limb I longer than the other 3 whilst ness of a table top, and a ledge, if any, thereunder. The part 3 has two lateral lugs 4, 4 which are bent away from the part I and are constituted by a piece of springy metal bent to U- shape and riveted to the part 3. Each lug 4 is 5 bent slightly at an obtuse angle so that the free ends of said lugs are adapted to press against the sides of a roll of paper placed between them as indicated at 5 in broken lines in Figure 1, and in order that said lugs may serve rotatably to 10 support said roll they are pressed out as at 6 to constitute centres for said roll. At about two thirds of its length from its free end, the part I has a narrow spring tongue I bent over from one side so as to extend across and close to said part 15 and at the free end of said part is oppositely arranged a somewhat similar, but wider spring tongue 8 which, where it is bent up from the plane of said part is shaped as at I0 so as to be adapted to encircle a pencil. 20

The tongue 8, if flat, would project beyond the end of the part I, but it is bent upwards as at II so that, when in use, the strip of paper I3 from the roll 5 has been drawn forward and passed under the tongues 1 and 8, it may be drawn 25 further forward folded back over the upstanding part II, as .indicated in Figure 5, and then torn off thereagainst, after which the free end of the strip 53, corresponding in length with the depth of the upstanding part II will fall back as indicated by the broken line I4, Figure 5, and thus constitute a tab which may be grasped easily when the strip I3 is to be drawn forward again.

To the part 2 is riveted a bridge piece I5 having a notch I6, see Figures 2 and 4, so that if the point of a pencil be placed therein when the strip i3 is drawn forward a dividing line will be drawn along said strip.

The space between the part I and the top of the part 3 is slightly less than the usual thickness of the top of a card table, so that the device may be clipped thereto by causing it to straddle an edge, the top of the part 3 bearing against the underside of said table top and drawing the part I fiat against the upper side thereof.

It is to be understood that the end of the strip of paper I3 is drawn up from the roll 5 over the part 2 of the device and along the part I, being placed under the bridge I5 and the spring tongues 7 and 8 which thus hold it down in position whilst it is restrained against lateral movement by the ends of the bridge I5, by the bend of the tongue I and by a small upstanding tongue I! which is cut and bent up from the pencil encircling portion It as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The narrower spring tongue I serves as the line above and below which bridge scores may be recorded.

When the scoring is complete the grip on the strip I3 exerted by the spring tongue 8 may be released if desired, by using the pencil in the part III as a lever, whereupon the projecting end I4 of the strip of paper I3 may be grasped and drawn forward, bent back over the upstanding part II of the tongue 8 and torn off against the edge thereof.

The parts I, 2, and 3 the lugs 4, 4 and spring tongues l, 8 may be stamped from a single piece of metal, or the lugs 4, 4 and spring tongues I, 8 may be riveted, welded or otherwise suitably secured to the main portion.

The formation of the parts I, 2, and 3 permits the device to be fitted to a table top whatever be its thickness, within limits, without the use of any clamping screws, whilst the whole construction is such that it can be produced very readily and cheaply.

The embodiment of Figure 6 may be the same in all respects as the embodiment already described with the exception that at the forward end of the plate I (the end remote from the scorer) the structure is modified. A spring plate 20 is secured to the lower side of the sheet I by welding or riveting. The plate has a curved portion 2| alongside the sheet I which serves at once as a pencil holder and as a spring for supporting the remainder of the plate. Beyond the curved portion 2| the plate includes a substantially horizontal portion 22 which extends across the top of the metallic sheet I and normally lies in contact with the upper face of the paper I3 to hold the paper clamped against the sheet I. At the forward end of the portion 22, (the end remote from the scorer), the sheet is turned back to provide a reverse horizontal portion 23 which, at the end adjacent the scorer, has an upturned lip or flange 24 which terminates in a cutting edge 25.

When it is desired to advance and tear off the paper, the end of the paper is grasped and drawn forward and upward, the direction of the pull being such that the clamp portion 22 is ineffective to prevent such feeding. When the desired length has been drawn out the operator swings the paper back toward himself and holds it taut over the cutting edge 25. He may then run his pencil or thumb nail along the cutting edge to tear or cut the paper. The pressure against the edge 25 is downward and the paper is turned at the cutting operation through a sharper angle than when it is being drawn forward. The pressure of the clamping portion 22 against the paper is therefore capable of preventing undesired or accidental advance of the paper at the cutting off operation.

The embodiment of Figure 7 is also similar to embodiments of Figures 1 to 5, with the exception of the tear off device located at the forward or discharge end of the metallic sheet I. A plate 26 is secured to the lower side of the sheet I by welding or riveting, and is provided with a lateral portion 2! which extends upward and is curved to form a pencil holder and a spring. Beyond the curved portion 21, the plate comprises a substantially horizontal portion 28 which extends rearward (toward the scorer) and which merges into an upstanding portion 29. The portion 29 in turn merges into a forwardly extending portion 30 which terminates at its forward end in a cutting edge 3I. An upstanding ear 32 at the edge of the clamping portion 23 remote from the spring portion 21 serves to give rigidity to the clamping portion 28. The upstanding portion 29 is cut away in line with the opening through the spring portion 21, being provided with an arcuate recess 33 through which a pencil may pass. With this arrangement the pencil is not required to be located outside the lateral bounds of the plate I, so that the total width of the device may be somewhat less than in the other forms.

It will be observed that in both Figure 6 and Figure 7 the cutting edge is located a substantial distance away from the point at which the paper emerges from between plate I and the clamping member cooperative therewith, so that a free end portion I I, as illustrated in Figure 5, is provided in every instance to enable the paper to be grasped by the scorer.

' Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. An improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, comprising a metal plate, adapted to lie flat on the top of a table, formed with a retroverted portion constituting a bowed spring which will enable it to be clipped to the table top and maintained there exclusively by resilient embracement of the lateral margin of the table, said retroverted portion having a part adapted to enage the under surface of the table, and a pair of spaced lugs serving to support a roll of paper rotatably therebetween, under the table, whilst said plate has spring arms extending thereacross from opposite sides and adapted to hold thereagainst a strip of paper drawn from said roll.

2. An improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, as claimed in claim 1, wherein 5 the lugs on the retroverted portion of the plate are bent slightly to an obtuse angle, so that, in use, their free ends will tend to bear against the side of the roll of paper for the purpose of holding said roll under yielding restraint as it is withdrawn.

3. An improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, as claimed in claim 1, and further characterized by having said retroverted portion provided with a bridge piece, having a notch at a medial portion whereby a pencil point may be located removably in suitable position to mark said strip linearly as the strip is advanced.

4. An improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, as claimed in claim 1, wherein and further characterized by having one of said spring arms arranged at the forward end of the plate with an upstanding portion over which said strip of paper may be drawn and folded back and against which it may be torn thus leaving a short length of paper which will resume its former position and project beyond the free end of the plate so as to enable the strip of paper easily to be grasped when it is to be drawn forward.

5. An improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by having one of said spring arms arranged at the free end of the plate to constitute also a holder for a pencil.

6. A device for scoring in games such as bridge, comprising a metallic sheet bent to form a combined table clamp and paper guide and to provide a flat writing bed upon the table top, means carried by said sheet for supporting a paper roll beneath the table, and a plate at the forward end of the metallic sheet to facilitate severence of the paper at the region of delivery, said plate having a spring supported portion overlying an do the metallic sheet and extending rearward from the delivery end of the sheet, and an upstanding portion which terminates in a tear-off edge.

'7. A device for scoring in games such as bridge, comprising a metallic sheet bent to form a combined table clamp and paper guide and to provide a flat writing bed upon the table top extending toward the table, and a plate at the distant end of the metallic sheet to facilitate severance of the paper, comprising a substantially horizontal portion extending substantially parallel to the metallic sheet, an upstanding portion at the rearward end of said last-named portion and a forwardly extending portion terminating in a tear oif edge at the forward end thereof.

8. A device for scoring in games such as bridge, comprising a metallic sheet bent to form a combined table clamp and paper guide and to provide a fiat writing bed upon the table top extending toward the table, a plate afiixed to said sheet at the distant end thereof and comprising a curved, pencil-holding spring portion overlying a side margin of the sheet, a horizontal portion extending across the sheet from the spring portion, an upstanding portion at the rearward edge of the horizontal portion having a cut-out in line with the pencil-holding portion, and a portion extending forward from the top of the upstanding portion and terminating in a cutting edge which is substantially as long as the width of the sheet.

9. An improved device for scoring in games such as bridge, comprising an elongated plate of resilient sheet metal having a portion adapted to lie flat upon a table, and a retroverted portion constituting a bowed spring with a freely extending end part adapted to engage the under surface of the table to maintain the device thereon exclusively by resilient embracement of the lateral margin of the table; said device being characterized also by having on said free end part under the table a pair of spaced lugs to support a roll of paper scoring strip with yielding resistance to withdrawal thereof, also by having the bowed retroverted portion formed into a loop opposite the axis of said roll whereby a smooth continuous path is provided for the strip as it is withdrawn from the roll and regardless of the amount in reserve on the roll; and said metal plate being provided with guides for the paper strip on the bowed portion, and on the flat table portion, and with a clamping device at the forward end of the table portion.

ERNEST WEATHERALL. 

